Reading for the Baseball Fans

 

I saw this Book, Make Me Commissioner: I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It by Jane Leavy while I was entering contests on Goodreads.com. I know some of you are baseball fans (Margaret), so I am sharing. 

Description from Goodreads: 

Lifelong baseball devotee, legendary sportswriter, and New York Times bestselling biographer Jane Leavy takes listeners on an epic journey through the game that baseball has become—our once “national pastime,” now striving to catch up with the times—and proposes ideas that will invigorate fans and enhance the game’s cultural a comic, deeply reported, historic, and heartfelt manifesto.

Jane Leavy has always loved the game of baseball. Her grandmother lived one long, loud foul ball away from Yankee Stadium—the same grandmother who took young Jane to Saks Fifth Avenue and bought her her first baseball glove. It's no coincidence that Leavy was covering the game she loved for the Washington Post by the late 1970s. As a pioneering female sportswriter, she eventually turned her talent to books, penning three of the all-time best baseball biographies about three of the all-time best players in Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth. But when she went searching for a fourth biographical subject, she realized that baseball had faltered. The Moneyball era of the last two decades obsessed over data and slowed the game down to a crawl, often at the expense of thrills, skills, and surprise. Major League Baseball has begun to address issues too long ignored by establishing a pitch clock and altering rules to speed up the game and amplify the action. The league is investing in developmental youth baseball programs in disadvantaged communities where participation and fandom have plummeted. No one yet knows how to keep pitching arms healthy but Leavy has some ideas.

Yet the questions how much have these efforts helped and how much more can be done to improve the game and reassert its place in American culture? Leavy takes a whirlwind tour of the country seeking answers to those questions, talking with luminaries like Joe Torre, Dave Roberts, Jim Palmer, Dusty Baker, Alex Bregman, Yu Darvish, Marquis Grissom, stadium architect Janet Marie Smith, statistical guru Bill James, fantasy baseball creator Dan Okrent, ageless pitching raconteur Bill “Spaceman” Lee, and the entertainers behind baseball’s social media phenomenon The Savannah Bananas. What Leavy uncovers is not only what’s wrong with baseball—and how to fix it—but also what’s right with baseball, and how it illuminates characters, tells stories, and fires up the imagination of those who love it and everyone who could discover it anew. 

Information about Author: 

Jane Leavy is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Last Boy, Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy and the comic novel Squeeze Play, which Entertainment Weekly called “the best novel ever written about baseball.” Her latest book is The Big Fella. She was a staff writer at The Washington Post from 1979 to1988, first in the sports section, then writing for the style section. She covered baseball, tennis, and the Olympics for the paper. She wrote features for the style section about sports, politics, and pop culture, including, most memorably, a profile of Mugsy Bogues, the 5’3″ guard for the Washington Wizards, which was longer than he is tall.

Before joining the The Washington Post, she was a staff writer at womenSports and Self magazines. She has written for many publications, including The New York Times, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, The Village Voice, and The New York Daily News. Leavys work has been anthologized in many collections, including Best Sportswriting, Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a Difference, Child of Mine: Essays on Becoming a Mother, Nike Is a Goddess: The History of Women in Sports, Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend: Women Writers on Baseball, A Kind of Grace: A Treasury of Sportswriting by Women, and Making Words Dance: Reflections on Red Smith, Journalism and Writing.

She grew up on Long Island where she pitched briefly and poorly for the Blue Jays of the Roslyn Long Island Little League. On her parents first date, her father, a water boy for the 1927 New York football Giants, took her mother to a Brooklyn College football game. She retaliated by taking him to Loehmanns after the final whistle. It was a template for their 63-year union. As a child, Jane Leavy worshipped Mickey Mantle from the second-floor ballroom in the Concourse Plaza Hotel where her grandmothers synagogue held services on the High Holidays.

Jane Leavy attended Barnard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she wrote her masters essay (later published in The Village Voice) on Red Smith, the late sports columnist for The New York Times, who was her other childhood hero.

My Heart is Broken

 

RIP Buddy Boy

2007- 2025

Alfred Hitchcock all around me

I went to the River Oaks Theater with J&M, my daughter and her partner, last night.  We went to see The Lady Vanishes, a black-and-white movie released in 1938 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The cast was incredible, and the story was simple but cute. 

It was the last movie Hitchcock made in England before moving to the US.  His first US movie, and a big one, was Rebecca, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.

The Lady Vanishes was adapted from the book "The Wheel Spins," written by Ethel Lina White, a very popular English author at the time.  As an Agatha Christie fan, I think I'll check to see if the library has any of White's novels. 

Coincidentally, the River Oaks Theater opened in 1939 so this movie could have been one of its early showings.  

Just a week ago, I watched the Netflix program "Hitchcock" with Anthony Hopkins playing Alfred Hitchcock. I thought he was terrific, and the entire cast did a great job. 

The theater will show Vertigo next month, followed by Psycho in August.  J&M have monthly passes, so we have already purchased tickets for those two movies. 

Then last night I was movie surfing and saw that Netflix has quite a few of Hitchcock's movies available.  I might watch a few more. The Birds is still my favorite Hitchcock movie, but I didn't stop to see if it was being offered.  

More later ... 

I'm Settling in My New Apartment

I've made the move to the new apartment with only a few more things to pick up from my daughter's house - mostly plants.  That will require the heat to settle down first, so we're probably looking at December. LOL. 

Researching online, it looks like this complex was built around 1975.  It's quite a few years old, but it appears to be well-maintained.  We have numerous apartment complexes in and around Houston, and converting them into 55+ communities seems to be gaining popularity. I'm assuming this was an apartment conversion.  I don't think they had 55+ back in '75, but I may have been too young to notice at the time.  

This is a pretty big complex compared to the others I have lived in which is actually great because it gives Buddy and I lots of sidewalks to stretch our legs.  Each square section has its own little courtyard area.  They have been redoing the courtyards in cute ways, but while I wait for them to get to my section, I have lots of room for my plants where I can see them from my window.  We also have a fair number of squirrels and birds, so I did bring bird food with me. However, as I mentioned, it's too hot to spend much time outside arranging feeding platforms for the different bird species' requirements.  

I've met about half of my neighbors.  Two in particular are very nice and often sit outside in the evenings, which encourages me to sit out also.  I'll call them the Prom Queen and King as they both seem to be genuinely kind and friendly.  The Prom King has a medium-sized dog, which I have been around several times.  Last night, however, Prom Queen and I were sitting outside, and Prom King and his dog came along.  I reached out to pet the dog as I always do.  I have no sense of safety when it comes to dogs, so I hold myself totally responsible for the dog snapping at me.  He did break the skin, and I put Neosporin on it.  

Shortly afterwards, I took Buddy for a walk and stepped on a large screw, which, because I wear thick-soled shoes, only stuck in the plastic and did not go through.  That got me thinking that I couldn't remember the last tetanus shot I had gotten, so I found an Urgent Care that was still open and ran to get a tetanus shot.  Luckily, all apartments require up-to-date shots here, so I wasn't worried about anything more than "what can go wrong" type of thinking.  Anyway, picked up the antibiotics the doctor called in, and most likely all will be well.  

I felt like that was two warnings from the universe about being careful, so I'm going to start paying more attention to what I'm doing—or not doing—in the sense of my diabetic care.  So caution is my current middle name - no more cruising through yellow lights either.  

Other than that, I think I'm really going to like it.  I was late signing up for water aerobics, and the class was full for this week, so now I know to sign up early next week.  They offer a nice selection of activities, including a weekly bus that visits HEB, Walmart, a nearby Presbyterian church, and a special monthly outing.  Since I am still driving, although without air conditioning, bless my heart, I probably won't be using these bus trips. I am also going to sign up for some of the stretch and sit-type exercise classes. 

Buddy is happy.  He moves from bed to bed as he used to do and has gotten the hang of walking in the evenings and sitting by the front door when he needs to go out.  Bless his little toothless head. 

More later ... 

I'm Moving Again

I will move to a Seniors' Apartment Complex at the end of the month.  My health has steadied since I moved in with my daughter, her partner, and her partner's daughter.  They have cooked for me and watched my numbers, including middle-of-the-night glucose drops or rises. I am most appreciative, but I want to develop a community of friends to do things with. I still have my besties, but it can be an hour drive to visit when you live in Houston. 

The apartment is about 5 minutes from the house, so my daughter will worry less about getting to me if she needs to.  It is small, similar to the one I moved from, which is fine.  I had given away almost all of my belongings except for a few pieces (fish tanks) I brought over here with me.  They already had all of their furniture, including the bed, in my bedroom, so I just kept a few pieces of my own furniture.  Grandson and girlfriend took many kitchen items and furniture to their new apartment, and the rest I donated to the apartment neighbors and Goodwill. 

I have purchased all kinds of odds and ends off Marketplace (don't tell Zuckerberg I used a friend's account to access Marketplace) and Goodwill, so I won't be sitting on the floor.  It really is amazing what you can find out there. Kind of like shopping for my first apartment.

I'm excited about meeting new people and hopefully building connections with folks who enjoy some of the things I do - dominoes and contesting, for example.  I'm looking forward to having a sense of community.  I'm not the friendliest of people, but I can play nice.  

The complex does have events and a bus that takes people on outings. That might be fun. Who knows.  It could be a big disappointment or might work out well.  I'll let you know next month.  

The big dogs over here beat Buddy up, and he lost a front tooth.  Now his tongue hangs out.  Poor little guy. At least he will have his own house now.  

More later ... 

Something Interesting

Sometime after Trump took office, I deleted my Facebook account because I could not help but repost ugly things about Trump, Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg. That was the responsible thing to do, as people you are friends with and/or follow may not share the same views and don't want to hear it repeatedly.  

I'm considering moving back into my own apartment, and I need to use Marketplace on Facebook to find some good deals.  Since I had deleted my account, I needed to open a totally new Facebook account. When I attempted to do this, I received some unusual messages stating that my previous account did not meet their standards. 

I knew I had never said anything out of line, except for expressing my political views, so I requested a review of the matter.  

I received a message today stating that I did not meet their standards and that I could not appeal again or open any new account.  

Well, excuse me ... 

Somehow, my life will go on just fine. 

Blood Pressure and my Nurse Assistant

 My Blood Sugar reading is fluctuating, so I decided to take my blood pressure as well. I took it five times, and every reading was significantly different.  I looked up why it would be different if I took it several times in a row, and I couldn't find a good reason.  

I remember both times I went to the hospital with extremely high blood sugar, my blood pressure was also exceptionally high.  None of my blood pressure readings today were in the normal range; they were slightly elevated, but still aggravating. 

Buddy heard all the beeping and buzzing from the blood pressure machine, so he came over to see what was going on.  Now, if I could just teach him to dial 911 in case of an emergency.  

Fingers crossed that Canada will elect a leader to stir up the rest of the world against the orange tyrant. 

More later ... 

Somethings you never forget even though they are not worth remembering

 

Admit it. You sang along.

A little this and that

"As we navigate this strange and anxious world, choosing joy becomes more than a personal act of resilience — it becomes a radical gesture of hope."

– ZACHARY KAI

I saw this quote online and saved it for the day I needed it.  Yesterday I had the blahs.  The day before, I had outright depression.  I don't know why for either.  Nothing particularly wrong except for the messy house I live in with J&M (and that does really get to me - childhood trauma - I had a messy Mother). 

Or it could be because I fell in the backyard and it occurred to me that I was entering the "Danger of Falling" era of my life. I told everybody it was a motorcycle accident.  That sounds less aged. Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking by it.  

So last night, I was surfing on Pinterest and saw a post asking, "Do you have empty notebooks lying around?" or something like that. I have always loved pretty notebooks. I was quite a note-maker and jotter-downer in the old days, and I still buy a pretty notebook when it jumps into my basket, but mostly, I don't use one except to record my sugar highs and lows.  

So that got me thinking. It's something I used to enjoy. Would I still enjoy it? Well, if you use Pinterest, you know that once you click on a subject, a thousand posts on that subject will start popping up. So I started a new board and started adding ideas to journal about.  

Somehow, I got to music lists. Of course, being 101 years old, I went back to the 70s, then the 60s, then feel good in the morning, and then dancing in the kitchen list. Ok. That was a good start, except I used the Spotify app on my phone, which is not a pretty notebook, and even though I only use it for sweepstakes, I started there. I have the free version of Spotify, so there is a commercial every other song, but I started two playlists: 70s Jams and Dancing in the Kitchen. 

If I continue to use it, I might try the paid version with no commercials. Like my new blog on entering contests, I tend to start off hot and heavy and then fade. But for now, I have free tools to use for journaling and music playlists, so we'll see.  

So I've jollied myself out of the blahs. 

Feeling Groovy...

Beware of Stampeding Cows

 It's Rodeo Time here in Houston, and my Son has rounded up his Little Cowboy and Cowgirls for some special family time.

Can you believe how grown-up the Little Girls are?  The oldest Grand Girl is practicing for her driving test. Grandson still wants to join the Police and is attending college again.  The youngest is a preteen. Heaven help us.  

I've been playing around with a new website, SharingMySweeps.blogspot.com. I've also been researching Sock Dolls. I am thinking about making a few to give away or sell. My daughter had one when she was young and loved so much. I'm not sure if I have time for both creative endeavors.  Both are still in the thinking stage.  

Like Trumpty Dumpty, I'm wishy-washy and have reverted to reading the news.  Hahaha.  Love Canada, Mexico, and the rest of the World standing up to him. I really shouldn't say that out loud. Sorry.

More later ...

How Politics has affected my Sweepstakes entries

Let me explain. I use a contest-sharing site that, for a small monthly fee, has a new list of contests each day. This site, SweepsAdvantage.com, does not sponsor the contests; you pay only to read the list and link to a contest that interests you. 

After I choose a contest to enter, I click on the link supplied by SweepsAdvantage.com and enter my information on the Contest Sponsor's entry page. Then, I often have a chance to receive extra entries by clicking on a link to the Contest Sponsor's social media page. I have/had social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, TicTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.   

    SweepsAdvantage web page 🠊 Contest Sponsor's Entry Page🠊 Contest Sponsor's Social Media Page (Facebook,  Instagram, X, TicTok, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.)

I deleted FB first because I could not control the negative memes I reposted of Trumpty Dumpty and his friends. I consider myself one with great control, but my need to be ugly about our political situation was making me a lesser person than them. Also, I want Mr Z to realize his removal of verifying truth was unacceptable.  

I kept FB's sister site, Instagram, because I use it frequently to enter contests.  I haven't decided how to get around this dilemma.  

I also deleted X/Twitter, which I used only for occasional contests, to show King Musk what I think of him. I'm sure it did not significantly reduce his income.  

I also deleted TicTok, which I only used for contesting. 

I still have YouTube and Pinterest accounts open, which I am deliberating on pending further research. 

For now, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest will remain, while my chances of gaining extra entries from deleted social media sites will decline.  

BTW, I recently unsubscribed to all of my paid and unpaid news subscriptions.  However, like Shirley, other news sources from new and varied sources keep popping up.  I keep unsubscribing as they appear, but I can't help but see the headlines that depress or anger me to no end.

Sometimes it hurts to make a point. 

More later ...

Finally Another Win

 Generally speaking, I have not had much luck winning any of the many Christmas-time contests.  Finally, I broke the losing streak by winning a 24" Monitor from ViewSource.  

I cannot download an image for some reason, but it is nice, and my daughter, who works from home twice a week, is excited.  

I tried hard to win my son tickets to the Super Bowl, but no luck.

I have a major birthday this month, 75 yo. We are having a Mexican Food Birthday Buffet at my son's house.  

I have had a particularly hard time hearing at my son's house because of the open ceiling to the second floor and the tile flooring.  I will get to try out my new hearing aids there. Since my son bought them for me, I really hope they will allow me to hear conversations there.  

I've turned off all the news pages I used to read online.  I know it's wrong to play ostrich when things aren't going your way, but I am truly afraid for our country's future.  

I swiped this from Debra's post on Aliens because this is exactly how I'm feeling.  

More later ...  

 

When Hell Freezes Over

 You heard it here first.  Apparently, it is the end of the world as I know it.  Trump is President again and it snowed in Texas.  Couldn 't be crazier. 

 

The only thing missing is Zombies. 

More later ... 

Generators and Winter Storms

 I've sworn to buy a generator after every hurricane and power outage. Now, we have a winter storm over parts of the country, and I am a bit worried about the power going out.  

I can take the cold if the power fails, but my diabetic apparatuses need electricity to keep my insulin flowing. There is no need to worry yet. Hopefully, my son or sister will have power if it does go out. However, I have been entering every contest with a generator as a prize.  

Speaking of, I recently entered a contest for my son. The prize was a ride in the Goodyear Blimp. Doesn't that sound like fun?  

Also had an experience where Venmo notified me I had won $1450.  There are contests that pay you through Paypal, Venmo, or CashApp. I looked at the notice and researched the sender, but it was all fake.  Part of a scam where you deposit their money and then they request a refund, and they get your banking info.  I did nothing with the money, then got a request for the refund and still did nothing, and then it disappeared from Venmo, where my banking info is NOT saved. Truthfully, it would have been so much fun to have won that money.  

Here is my Buddy trying to help me make the bed. He loves it when I lift the blanket into the air. 

More later ... 

December update and new Booties

 Well Hey There.  It has been some time. 

Buddy and I are still staying with J&M (daughter and partner). 

I have not been entering online contests much lately so I was late entering contests for December, so hoping for, but not expecting a big win.  I have mainly concentrated on trips for the kids. There were quite a few Super Bowl packages I entered for the Son and then trips around the US but mainly concentrating on New York for the Daughter. 

I finally went to the Dentist about my broken-off crown, only to be told about a dozen other problems.  Ba Humbug. 

I have lost about 30 pounds on Ozempic and have had little problem with it after the initial break-in period.  I did notice I have been losing a lot of hair lately.  I researched any connection between hair loss and Ozempic, and while it is not directly linked, it is linked to poor nutrition.  Guilty. 

I have enjoyed buying some new clothes lately and retiring old standbys.  For some reason, I seem to have gone shoe crazy.  I always go down a foot size when I diet. So when I ordered a pair of Kenneth Cole Reaction booties, and they fit so well I ended up buying 3 or 4 more pairs.  I feel rather snazzy in my Leopard print or snakeskin booties.  

Do you think it was an attempt to move the focus point from my pink scalp and thinning white hair to my trim feet?  I'll never tell. 

More later .... 

 

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

Another tropical Storm, Francine, is heading up the coast of Texas and Louisiana. We could use a little rain but no loss of power, P.L.E.A.S.E. 

I'm all settled in my daughter's house. I made a little video to show how I set up my furniture in the room, but it was too long to post.   

So how is it here? It's really not bad, considering there are five people in total: J&M, me, J's stepson (17), and M's daughter (20). It's definitely out of the fire and into the firing pan, but considering I have lived by myself for so long, it is going well. The worst part is sharing a bathroom. Hahaha. The best part is having good food available both as snacks and cooked meals.  

Buddy has finally come to terms with the backyard.  At first, he would only stand by the door if I took him out.  Now he is a full-fledged outdoor pooper.  I'm so excited for him to finally have a yard again. 

Beautyrest pillows are Buddy-approved.

                                                                    

When I first came to stay with J&M during the hurricane, I fell in love with my daughter's Beautyrest pillows. I had been unhappy with my pillows for a while, and now I understand why. I was buying hard pillows that were not squeezy like these. I had no idea that I would like squeezy pillows.  I am sleeping better here.  Apparently, the right pillow can make for a better night's sleep.

Healthwise, I am doing better. This is most likely due to the excellent food, but also because I have been trying to go outside and play with the plants and throw the ball for the big dogs regularly. It's too bad mall walking has fallen out of favor.  Our nearest mall is a ghost town. That would also have been a good thing for me to do right now.  

I found a Pilates place I could go to.  I'm waiting to hear from them.  It looks really nice so it is probably too expensive for me!!

More later ... 

If I have Power, that is. 

     

Hello Again

Well, it has been a brutal summer, weatherwise and otherwise.  

I am making the final move to my daughter's house. I came to stay with her after Hurricane Beryl when my power was off for two weeks and never left. It gave me a good taste of living with them, and I decided it was time to make the move permanent. 

I lost power twice this summer, each for over a week. It was particularly rough because I couldn't charge my insulin pump or keep the insulin cold in the refrigerator. Of course, this could happen in the new house, too, but at least I would not have to deal with it alone.  

The final boxes and aquariums will arrive tomorrow. For this last stage, I hired professional aquarium movers. Who knew there was such a thing as a professional aquarium mover?

My health has been up and down. The girls are cooking good meals for me, and my daughter has added my glucose reading app to her phone to monitor my glucose levels.  

Buddy has gotten used to "our new bedroom."   There are three other dogs and a cat living here. One is mean to him, and then the neighbor's dog chased him outside, so he stays in the bedroom. We have a lovely backyard, but he doesn't want to be out there. As soon as it cools a little, I will try to walk him in the little park nearby.  

The kids and grandkids had a family beach day.  They pitched a tent cover, brought chairs and a grill, and had a great time.  I had to pass.  The weather was just too hot. 

This could have been a Marie picture, like all her great bird pictures. That is my son and the littlest Grandgirl—not so little anymore. 

 I did have to go to the hospital last week when my glucose level hit 592. They didn't give me enough insulin while I was there, but they did provide me with blood pressure pills since it also spiked.   I'm lucky not to have stroked out, so with the help of my daughter and her partner, now referred to as J&M, I'm getting very serious about lowering my numbers.  

To get more exercise, I've decided to take up line dancing again once my strength is better. I last listened to country music a long time ago, even though we used to go country dancing every week when I moved back from Louisiana. J&M promised to accompany me to get me started, so I won't back out!  

That's about it. Nothing fun—just packing and unpacking. Oh, I forgot to say that the grandson and girlfriend came over and took most of the furniture to their new apartment, so I'm happy about that. 

More later ... 

Update

 Quick note.  I'm fine but had serious insulin problems. Power is still out so I'm staying at daughters.  

More later ... 

Hurricane Beryl and the new Bug-Out Bag

 This is just a quick pre-Hurricane Beryl post. It is Sunday afternoon, about 5:00, and we have just had one good rain with reasonable wind so far. They are looking into Monday morning for more special effects, but who can tell.  

At this point, I believe it will come through between Corpus and Houston, with the dirty side toward us, which means lots of rain and wind. 

I don't want to leave my house. I know it's stupid, but it could just as quickly move toward the area where my son lives if I go there. 

The power will undoubtedly go down again, so it's time for serious battery charging. 

Luckily, I found a new insulated bag last week to keep my insulin in if the power goes out. During the power outage, I lost the insulin in the fridge, so I ordered some of those igloo-freezer thingys. Now, I can load my supplies in my Bug-Out Bag to keep them cool or grab and run. Great find just in time. 

Yesterday, my daughter was at the beach in Galveston. Perfect weather.  Oh, Mother Nature, you rascal. 

More later ... 

Sharing a little smile and random thoughts

 I came across this old picture of the youngest Grand Girl.  Love the Red Heels. 

I had another eye check-up yesterday because the doctor decided I needed another vitreous exam (the gel-like fluid that fills your eye. It's full of tiny fibers that attach to your retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye.) 

Once again, I passed with flying colors.  I am so thankful.  My hearing has become so bad that I would be lost without the ability to read. 

I am still losing weight on the Ozempic, slowly but surely.  The stomach problems have lessened plus I now understand what to do with the symptoms. I still wouldn't recommend this drug.  I'll let you know what I've lost after the next dr. visit. 

I have heard from so many Type 2 diabetics saying how great Mounjaro is at keeping their A1C (sugar levels) near perfect but that they are now unable to get the drug. Hello, let's put people to work and make that stuff. There is no reason to have a shortage. I wish the weight loss drugs were nearly as efficient for Type 1. Oh well, I'm thankful for what I've got.  

I finally watched Oppenheimer.  I was reluctant but found (what I could hear) that the science/exploration was fascinating.  I'm going to have to rewatch it with captions on.  Of course, the outcome is a bitter pill, and I won't get into that. Then, I started a new library book that was in my queue.  The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos.  The story is set in the present, in Nevada, near all the testing sites, and flips back and forth from the 1950s Russian spy point of view.   I enjoyed it if you are interested. 

My daughter and her girlfriend have started having me over on Thursday nights (her work-at-home day) for the supper of my choosing. Last night was the third week. We had chicken, rice, and broccoli casserole, and it was so good, with such a cozy, down-home feeling.  I am really enjoying both the weekly companionship and the delicious food.   

I'm still trying out my new Electrical service provider. I hope to save a little money this year. I'm also praying we don't have another heat dome settle over us like last year. During one hurricane season, we had extensive flooding because a dome settled in over the rain for several days and could not move on. We got so much more rain/flooding than we would have from just the hurricane. Please, no more domes.   

If I had a young family member looking into a field to study, meteorology might be an up-and-coming field. 

I gave my daughter one of my favorite pictures for her new house, so my oldest Grand Girl, the artist, is painting a picture of my guppies to hang in its place.  This picture of my aquarium is not clear, but you can tell they are colorful.  I can't wait.  

Now, the most essential part: Like Margaret, I don't want to constantly complain, but being unable to find my words drives me crazy, and it's getting worse. I've been referred to a neurologist, which means more doctor appointments and tests. I'm not ready for that... yet. It is in the near future. 

Also, my hearing has drastically decreased.  I'm so tired of having to tell people sorry I can't hear.  Damn, getting old is a drag. ..

More later ...